Just about to start developing film! Pointers?

[Duncan Ross]

Hopefully later we can set up some sort of darkroom and make prints but starting with B&W developing and scanning the results is the first step!

So before we commence making a mess in the kitchen any last minute advice or links? At first we will be developing Classic Pan 400 using Adox ATM49. Is it ok keeping 'used' developer for reuse or is that a bad idea. Such a cheapskate...

So wish us luck folks!!! If this works there's the possibility of (yet another) side-by-side lens test in the near future involving a J8M, J3 and Menopta in Kiev mount. If it doesn't expect a rake of 'what heppened here..?' images.

 

[jjb_13]

Throw it out

Throw it out

Im not familiar with the particular film/developer combination you speak of, being more at home with Kodak products such as D-76, HC-110a, TMax and the like and the old Acufine/Diafine developers. However, in general film developers designed for small tank development are "one use" only. The exception in my list is D-76 that did have the option to use a "replenisher" based on the total area of film developed when used in a in a large format/large tank deveolpment system.

Having said that, I was once in a situation with TMax of having 8 rolls of 35mm to develop and only enough fresh developer for 4. I reused the old developer on the second four rolls and increased development time by 33% empirically. The results were usable for newsprint but not spectacular, with a noticable loss of shadow detail and contrast in the second four rolls.
Best advice. if the manufacturer says use once and discard - do it.

Regards

 

[Duncan Ross]

Im not familiar with the particular film/developer combination you speak of, being more at home with Kodak products such as D-76, HC-110a, TMax and the like and the old Acufine/Diafine developers. However, in general film developers designed for small tank development are "one use" only. The exception in my list is D-76 that did have the option to use a "replenisher" based on the total area of film developed when used in a in a large format/large tank deveolpment system.

Having said that, I was once in a situation with TMax of having 8 rolls of 35mm to develop and only enough fresh developer for 4. I reused the old developer on the second four rolls and increased development time by 33% empirically. The results were usable for newsprint but not spectacular, with a noticable loss of shadow detail and contrast in the second four rolls.
Best advice. if the manufacturer says use once and discard - do it.

Regards

Thanks for the advice!

 

[boarini2003]

Have fun doing it! I'd stick to manufacturer's recommendations before you start experimenting, so that will ensure consistent and good results from the beginning. Also, I'd say that it's better so just use developer on a one shot basis, as that will eliminate any risk of using bad or exhausted developer and ruining your film. I guess it's also a good idea to start with something easy and flexible, like D-76, Ilford ID-11, etc., and films like Tri-x or HP5 which are a breeze to use. Developing is not such a mystery, all you have to do is follow the steps and you will have no problem. Enjoy!

 

[kaiyen]

Reusing developer is penny wise and pound foolish. One shot-only, please...

allan

 

[kiev4a]

Reusing developer is penny wise and pound foolish. One shot-only, please...

allan

Agreed. I always go one-shot, mostly D-76 1:1. Another advantage is shelf life.
I mix D-76 by the gallon and store it in quart plastic bottles and squeeze as much air as possible out of the bottles as I use the developer. Last night I developed two rolls of Tri-X using developer mixed six months ago and store in an unopened bottle since. No problem.

Any time you reuse developer--even if replenished, you have an additional risk that it was contaminated by the previous film developing process. It ain't worth it.

 

[bmattock]

I agree with the advice to use developer as a one-shot. The main reason being that as a newcomer to home development of B&W, you need consistant results so that you can begin to build a base of dependable statistics.

For example - if you should ever decide to experiment and find out if you should develop for a bit longer or shorter - what baseline do you have upon which to base your judgement?

A second bit of advice - try to spend some time with one film and one developer before trying others. Again, it pays to begin to learn as much as you can about a particular combination, to really understand how they work in relation to each other - before branching out.

Scattershot results are usually daunting, and can put people off of doing their own development - too frustrating when results are not predictable.

Good luck and have fun!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[kaiyen]

I'll also support the idea that you should stick with one combination for a while. Another benefit is that you learn what it is you like or dislike about that combination. Then you can solicit opinions about how to achieve the particular look or avoid the particular effect you are seeking or getting, respecitively, as derived from your consistent experiments.

allan

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Bill and Alan will not steer you wrong. In addition to what they have said, I would get a notebook and keep notes about what works and what doesn't. Fundamentally, this is like cooking. Time, temperature and freshness of the ingredients are the basics. One thing I do is mix my developer and store in small, air-tight bottles that are the size I need for one developing session (e.g 250 ml). If you are only going to be developing film once in a while, this will help the developer stay fresh (that is, not oxidize).

The reason that I advise you to keep notes is that there are a lot of variables in the mix. Local water quality can have a profound effect on the activity of certain developers. One way to combat this is to use distilled water. But you don't need to do this if your current practices produce results with which you are happy. Careful notes will allow you to evaluate your results and tweak your process, if needed.

Good luck. Let us know how your first roll turns out.

Ben

 

[titrisol]

I'm not sure about Atomal/ATM49 but I'd try to use it one shot, for consistency
I guess the other guys covered al lthe bases 😉

Try going light on the agitation and don;t get too excited and open the tank before it's in the fixer at least.....

HJave fun and enjoy yourself.... go to the darkroom forum, there are several threads about 1st time development recommendations.

PS,. as you may have noticed ATOMAL is another name for your developer and you may find a lot more info aout it by googling that name 😉